‪ “It is now a priority to remember that neither in the pastoral sphere nor in the social and political spheres can good come from abuse of power.” - Pope Leo

It's bad enough as a standalone happening, but that the cuts can coincide with International Women's Day, too...

😥🙏

Contemplating Christ Given through Smallness and Fragility At his General Audience yesterday, Pope Leo said some things that are, I think, quite hard for a contemplative soul to ignore. Moving through the documents of the Second Vatican Council, the Holy F…

Francis: True beauty is Christ, and we contemplate his beauty; vulnerability (la fragilità) is another manifestation of beauty.

Leo: Contemplate the miracle of the Church’s holiness—that Christ continues to give himself through smallness and fragility (la fragilità).

'I sensed an enormous inner desolation': The darkness behind British artist LS Lowry's famous city scenes In 1957, the painter showed the BBC how he built up his pictures of industrial urban life from his imagination, and described the loneliness that informed them.

L.S. Lowry (1 Nov 1887 – 23 Feb 1976, fiftieth anniversary of his passing)

There's just something about his art that captures the Mancunian soul. When I lived in the UK, I visited The Lowry in Salford Quays so many times, and I’m really proud the major gallery in my Canadian province has a Lowry.

One who has come to God’s court
Is always to praise
With great desire.
Desire causes a wound
In the heart, and illness,
And brings on restlessness.
One who could properly conduct himself
Until God would bind his wound
Would live in true nobility.

Bl. John of Ruusbroec

🙏

Seems that in Mt 4, the devil is obsessed with tempting Jesus to prove the Father loves him on the world’s terms. Meanwhile, Jesus is serenely focused on showing that he loves the Father on the Father’s terms. This encapsulates the revolution of humanity renewed by grace.

Our love of Christ ought to make us feel the needs of our suffering sisters and brothers as our own —St Oscar Romero, 1st Sunday of Lent (A), 1978 #StOscarRomero

if the grayscale mode needs to slightly brighten the images and increase their contrast, but not each to the same levels. And you know instinctively that something's off or different, for what you're familiar with, while new visuals remain harder to decipher.

Just intuition without hard evidence.

This is a really interesting question (not that it makes you stressed and sick of course!!). I did SLR photography and developed B&W photos back in the days before digital, and I still convert photos to grayscale for my deliberately lo-fi blog. So part of me wonders

Vatican News No to homilies prepared with Artificial Intelligence The Pope therefore invited the priests to enter into real life and called for vigilance when confronted with artificial intelligence and internet use. He warned against "the temptation to prepare homilies with Artificial Intelligence". "Like all the muscles in the body, if we do not use them, if we do not move them, they die. The brain needs to be used, so our intelligence must also be exercised a little so as not to lose this capacity," he said. Moreover, "to give a true homily is to share faith," and Al "will never be able to share faith," he insisted. "If we can offer a service that is inculturated in the place, in the parish where we are working, people want to see your faith, your experience of having known and loved Christ." vaticannews.va

PAPA LEONE YES

“Cast your care on God, for he watches over you and will not forget you. Do not think that he leaves you alone; that would be an affront to him.” — St. John of the Cross

If you want to complain about secularity, the fact that the public broadcaster (supposedly) didn't talk about Christians fasting on Ash Wednesday really isn't the hill to die on. Respecting the Gospel command about inconspicuousness, ¡qué horror!

En su Hijo Jesucristo el Padre nos dio su palabra, y su palabra es de fiar.

The Divine Touch in the Writings of John of the Cross Few works on the spiritual life have influenced me more than St. John of the Cross’ Living Flame of Love. One thing that draws my attention is the detailed reproaches directed at spiritual guides w…

Bringing together some of my pet projects: (1) arguing for more attention paid to St. John of the Cross’ 𝘓𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘍𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦; (2) presenting contemplation in tactile terms; (3) contemplative responses to AI and the abuse crisis.

Just imagine if homilies tell you that your episcopal vicar wouldn't realize there's a problem with the first question or your bishop talks like the second one. Hypothetically of course.

what training would these people have.

My diocese did this survey, too.

As someone who grew up Baptist, became Anglican, then Catholic, I was utterly appalled.

Oh, that's a cool ITYOMNOF for me. I did part of a degree there!

Feel the Ashes, Hear the Cry At the start of this year, Pope Leo urged us to “constantly examine our spirituality and the ways in which we express our faith, in order to ensure that they are truly incarnate.”[1] He has not bee…

In his homily for Ash Wednesday, Pope Leo expresses our spiritual life in strikingly tactile terms, and that’s going to catch my attention.

Some people wash off the ashes because they’re ashamed to be a Christian, but others do it because they’d be ashamed not to be

“the ashes… of a world that is ablaze, of entire cities destroyed by war… of international law & justice among peoples, the ashes of entire ecosystems & harmony among peoples, the ashes of critical thinking & ancient local wisdom, the ashes of that sense of the sacred that dwells in every creature”

May your Lent be like

“Were a portrait of extremely delicate workmanship touched over with dull and harsh colours by an unpolished hand, the destruction would be worse, more noticeable, and a greater pity than if many other portraits of less artistry were effaced.” — St. John of the Cross, on this monstrosity or maybe AI

Thank you @canonlaw.ninja

I mean, I have an uncle... otherwise the cool uncle... but yeah

This is indeed terrible. When they end up in my possession, Peeps have always ended up rock hard by the time, years later, they find their way to the garbage bin.

I'd like to second this particular message—with a little less "nerdy" in the reasons. My specific focus in theology is Reconciliation Studies. So if there is anything that you would like to be known, without any pressure, I am willing and hopefully able to learn—and I am sorry for your experiences.

First Nations Version (for how much of it is done)

And that's ordered—thanks!